Keeping the 2021 title battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen in mind, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner insists that he doesn’t want any team to stand up to them at the moment. Having taken a huge toll on the team, Horner admitted that he is still recovering from the same.
Hamilton’s tussle for the world championship with Verstappen in 2021 was arguably one of the greatest duels the sport has ever seen. They went toe to toe throughout the season, and couldn’t be separated until the final lap of the final race that year. Even though it was a spectacle for fans, it drained both parties, both physically and mentally.
Max Verstappen and Michael Schumacher are the only two drivers in F1 history who have won at least 10 of the first 12 races of a season 🙌 pic.twitter.com/3uElkLLrLd
— ESPN (@espn) July 30, 2023
After the epic clash of 2021, Hamilton and Mercedes entered somewhat of a slump. The regulation changes of 2022 didn’t treat them kindly. Red Bull, on the other hand, took over the baton of dominance from the Silver Arrows, winning both world titles comfortably in 2022. This year too, they are on course to win both championships again, with Verstappen expected to bring home his third.
Unfortunately for neutral fans, there seems to be no driver or team that can stand in Verstappen or Red Bull’s way. It may make the sport look “boring” as widely claimed, but Horner definitely likes things the way they are.
Christian Horner still recovering from Lewis Hamilton’s onslaught
The 2021 F1 season made fans go through a rollercoaster of emotions. No driver was the clear favorite to win the title at any point in the season. Close battles and aggressive racing between Hamilton and Verstappen often led to heated clashes, both on and off the track. Horner being the team principal was often drawn into verbal battles with his Mercedes counterpart Toto Wolff.
In the end, months of hard work paid off for Horner and Red Bull. It kickstarted Verstappen’s era of dominance, but Horner still hasn’t fully recovered from what happened. In a recent interview, the 49-year-old spoke about how he doesn’t want any other team to challenge Red Bull or Verstappen at the moment.
“There’s not one ounce of me that wishes that,” he said as per RBR News. “I think I’m still in recovery from 2021.”
After Verstappen’s maiden title win in 2021, he dominated the 2022 season, despite Charles Leclerc putting up a fight of sorts towards the beginning of the campaign. The 2023 season, on the other hand, has been a complete one-horse race.
Max Verstappen leads the way in a one-horse race
After the first four races of the 2023 season, fans were anticipating a battle between Red Bull teammates Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. They each had two wins, and Perez was closer than ever to being involved in a championship fight for the first time in his career.
However, as the season progressed, the Mexican driver’s chances started fading away. As things stand, Verstappen is 125 points ahead of Perez. The former is in unstoppable form, having won eight races in a row. Perez meanwhile, seems to have accepted the fact that he has to settle for a shot at P2 in the championship. Red Bull’s chief Helmut Marko too, agrees.
Signing off for summer with a 🫂🏆 pic.twitter.com/yi0FCkWy21
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) July 31, 2023
Marko feels that Perez giving up on his dream of winning a world championship is actually good for him. It will help him focus on bettering himself and getting out of the slump he once found himself in. Verstappen meanwhile, is showing no signs of weakness and is widely expected to seal the championship win with multiple races to spare.
